Bob's Story

Robert A. Reaumond was born and raised in Oak Park, Illinois. He found a love and passion for music at an early age and by his early 20’s, he was a professional musician. He traveled the United States with his band, Jade 50’s, and performed in concerts with Chuck Barry and Bo Diddley. He married his wife, Julie, at age 25 and they had four children, Paul, Lauren, Connor and Tyler. After his career in music, he entered the world of commercial real estate and worked at CBRE for 36 years.

Bob had a contagious and relentless passion for helping those who were less fortunate than him. He served as a deacon at church, a leader on many youth work trips, a hospice volunteer and generously donated to nonprofits that his family valued.

Bob was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in September of 2016. Even top medical providers struggled to come to this diagnosis after an exploratory surgery, multiple MRIs, blood work and many other scans. Once finally diagnosed, he began chemotherapy at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, thriving and spending multiple months with a great quality of life. He put chemotherapy on hold in the summer of 2017 and eventually did a clinical trial at MD Anderson in Texas. The tumor ultimately spread to his stomach and liver. Unfortunately, things quickly took a turn for the worse and he passed away with his family beside him in October of 2017.

From day one, Bob took the reality of his diagnosis with unwavering optimism and bravery. He was hopeful until the very end. He took an altruistic approach to the disease, participating in complicated and risky clinical research at MD Anderson. The day before he died, even with a bleak prognosis in front of him, he told his oncologist that his goal was to be a 10 year survivor. He may not have reached that goal but The Reaumond Foundation is determined to carry on his legacy by helping to make it a reality for others.

This foundation is our way of extending his love and compassion. This is “Bob’s Encore.”